On Aug. 29, The University of North Alabama’s University Program Council hosted a Sunset Goat Yoga event as part of their annual Mane Month festivities.
UPC hosted their first Goat Yoga event last year. Dessa Faulkner, the Welcome Warrior for UPC, was involved with planning the event.
“Last year, one of my colleagues brought the idea to the council and was like, ‘I’ve heard of some other colleges doing Goat Yoga, just bringing goats and doing simple yoga poses,’ and we were like, ‘This is amazing and we have to do this,’” said Faulkner. “Last year was a huge hit, but I think a lot of people still didn’t know about it as much. Being in my position, I wanted to do something that would get people excited again, and that was one of the things I thought we should bring back.”
The event was held at UNA’s intramural sports field from seven to nine p.m., perfect for viewing the sun setting in the distance. The yoga area was set up within a small, fenced-in area on the field, with yoga mats and goats awaiting the excited students.
Because of the number of people interested in attending, as well as the necessity of small groups, four sessions of around 20 people apiece were offered, and they were all fully-booked.
“We can only do so many spots with the company that we use, which I think is good because it makes it a little more exciting for people if they do get a spot,” Faulkner said. “Registration fills up super quickly, and that can be tough because we do want to have all students come to things like that, but we only have a certain amount of time, so we have them register.”
Each session began with stretches and directions from the instructor on what was to come. From there, she directed the students on various yoga poses, all of which provided stability for the goats to jump up onto the students’ backs. From individual poses to forming a group bridge for the goats to run across, everyone got a chance to have a fun and relaxing time with the barnyard animals. The instructor then concluded the sessions with a farewell “Baa-maste.”
After each session concluded, those in attendance expressed their excitement about getting to participate in the event.
“I had a lot of fun,” said Candice Buford, a UNA student. “It was a very relaxing way to start the semester.”
Another student, Micah Bullard, felt that the experience connected him to his childhood.
“It took me back to when I was younger and I used to live on a farm,” said Bullard. “It was very interesting. I never thought I’d do yoga with a goat, because I never did it with any of my goats back home, but I guess I could try it now.”
Student Kaylee Lebon loved getting to connect with the animals in such a unique way.
“It was amazing,” said Lebon. “The goats are definitely heavy, and their hooves are a little hard, but it’s really relaxing. They’re soft, they’re sweet, so you can’t go wrong, especially with a beautiful sunset like this.”
For those who enjoyed Sunset Goat Yoga, or for those who were unable to get a spot, some future UPC events include a Paint Party, the new Roaring Riddles Mystery Dinner and Faulkner’s favorite event, Aux Cord Wars, a musical competition between students who go head-to-head to decide which song from a specific genre is better. Faulkner urges students to attend the many events that will take place during the remainder of Mane Month and beyond.
